Hydraulically actuated log-splitters have been available for sometime. Such units are expensive and cumbersome since they include a source of power such as an internal combustion engine, a hydraulic system for actuating a wedge to split the wood, all of which must be mounted on a suitable frame strong enough to support these components. One disadvantage of such integral units is that the wood to be split must be placed in position within the unit. Due to the cost of such integral units and the resulting weight, such units are either of limited splitting capacity or are very heavy and expensive.
The present inventive device is comparatively inexpensive and utilizes as a power source an available hydraulic power source of high capacity, namely the hydraulic actuator for rotating the bucket of a backhoe. The bucket is removed from the backhoe and the wood splitting attachment is quickly connected to the dip stick of the backhoe.